To be a machine or not to be, that is the question! 

I had selected Vietnam Mountain Marathon since a long time but I was not quite sure if I would actually register. I waited the approval from the organisation. And to be totally honest with you, I was hesitating with the half-marathon. 1000 meters of ascending elevation for the 21,1km and 2000 meters for the marathon. It is only the day after the Angkor marathon that I decided to register to the full. Why exactly at this time? Because when you just have run a marathon, you have inside you this adrenaline that gives you wings for everything! I did not know what I could expect from this race, anyway in one and a half month , I would be running in Vietnam in Sapa.

Before the race, I needed to go and take my number between 21st and 23rd of September in Hanoi. I was there on time, I just forgot to take it and I realized that on the 23rd at 6:00 pm… Oups! Two or three calls later, I had an appointement to pick it up. Really short timing!

But let’s go back to the race and the day before this huge challenge. To go to Sapa, North-West Vietnam, I took a night bus so I could just arrive the day of the marathon… It could not arrive late or I could not miss it.
Everything was okay until we arrived in Sapa à 5:00 am when the driver told me that I could not go out until 6:00 am, time when they would drop us in the bus station. I did not have this time! I woke up all the people in the bus so I could go out. I jumped on a moto-taxi so he could drop me in my hotel. I arrived, explained what I need to do to the receptionist, took a 5 minutes shower while they cooked my breakfast. I packed my bag, as usual, kind of an habit for me as much mental as physical. Two eggs, some bananas, and let’s go ! I walked until the hotel where the organisation asked us to meet. I recognized the place, full of crazy people. When I say crazy, it is because despite the rain everybody was smiling.

The bus started, I sat in the front row with the driver and one of the official photographer of the race. We have talked and got along well until a tire blown. So we walked until the starting point, a good warm up before the run. Sweet!

5,4,3,2,1, let’s go! I met at the starting point three runners from « La Réunion » who just came to run this race, they are “professionals” for me because they already ran « La Diagonale des Fous ». A 160 km run trough all La Réunion island. As I ran with them, they gave me a good pace. Awesome! It was raining a lot so we could start to see a difference between those who walked and those who ran when hills went down. I tried to stay at my usual pace but as I took my sticks, I had more stability and I could go down faster than excepted.

I started to be alone, no one in the front, no one in the back, only a lanscape for of rice patties, and small houses at the top of mountains. Oh, yes, I saw one woman, not to far from me. At this time, I did not know how many kilometers I had already ran. I only knew that I ran down on hills I never saw before, most of them were on my bottom as it was really slippery and hilly. Finally, I looked at my watch, only 7,5km… Oh no, it is not possible ! Thus, I promised myself that I would not look at for a long time, otherwise it would stop my will to continue.

I passed by this woman, then another man. We could talk a little at the first water stop and I understood that we had already run 14km. Not too bad! We kept running, running up, running down, I almost ran with same runners during the all race. Florence, a French teacher in Shanghai, Sy, a Malaysian and Sam, Singapourian training teacher. I had a little time to talk with them during the water stops which were every 10 km. Between these stops, I focused on my effort because I need to give a lot especially for the up hills. The worst thing was that my right knee was hurting since the 10th kilometer… Ouch! I did not how I was going to do but I did not have any choice. I passed by Than, a runner who introduced me to Vietnamese women runners a week ago. We have the same pace, crazy!

At the 24th kilometer, we started to act really like a team with Sam. We took care of each other and tried to be sure that both of us were alright. It is crazy how running helps to bound links. Each time, I am so impressed!
We kept running and stopped before our last hill, we just passed the 30th kilometer. I knew these 12 last kilometers would be hard as they are each time I run, espacially these ones because we almost rock climbed. Again and again, I heard this little voice inside my head who tells me : « pain is only in your mind » even this time I really felt that my body was suffering.
4 kilometers to go, I started crying, I was really tired, I had already ran around 8 hours and 20 minutes, every part of my body was hurting. .. Last try to stay focus on the race : music! I switched off my brain and I was only thinking of ending this race. I ended it with Sam, like a real team. So, 8 hours a
nd 49 minutes to end one of the toughest race that I ran. I can be proud of myself and tell you that I survived to the Vietnam Mountain Marathon

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If you want to participate to this race, it takes place end of September. You can also go for the 10k, 21k or 70km. Go on Vietnam Mountain Marathon
website or send me an e-mail to worldwildrunneuze@gmail.com, if you want to have more information.